Women in Mixed Martial Arts

Women have been battling stereotypes since Adam and Eve. They've been battling them for so long that it seems silly to think that women could not compete in the sport of MMA; God knows they have experience combating just about everything else.

One of the biggest misgivings to be found is in the old school fight fan, who just happens to be male. He's not a bad guy, mind you; just set in his ways , ways taught to him not only by his peers, but also by both his father and mother. It's not that he thinks less of women; not at all. He cherishes them and holds them up high. So much so, in fact, that he would rather be doing battle himself than to see a woman do so. He worries about them getting hurt, and more often than not, that thought breaks his heart.

But he can't say something like that, because it would make him look bad for two reasons. One: it makes him look weak to have such anguish over the affairs of women, most of whom he does not know; men of the old school cast aren't supposed to get their stomach twisted into knots over such things- that's what mothers do, what women do, for cryin' out loud. Two: to speak of these misgivings openly is to presume he knows what's better for women more than they do, and that is not a popular opinion to have nowadays. So, he cloaks it in time honored, traditionalist language: he speaks of the elegant roles of women, and how they simply don't belong in any combative theatre. Of course, women are in the military and fighting on the front lines now, but by God, that doesn't mean he has to endorse it as a sport. To do so might mean he could see his own daughter in a cage, and that makes his heart skip a beat. I know it would do the same for me.

If you think that is far from the truth, you might want to consider just how many of the worlds most powerful are men of that cast, who are in their fifties and sixties, owning political office or majority shares in massive conglomerates. They are either making laws or supporting them, and they have the kind of pull that allows them to offer their opinions on many subjects, women fighting in MMA being one of them.

Make no mistake, the women are coming to the cage, and why not? It wasn't all that long ago (1971 to be exact) that women were accepted in professional tennis in a pro tour, albeit not without some protest from the men. Now, women's tennis is every bit as valid and respected as men's, and those ladies command a great deal of air time and endorsement dollars. And that isn't because they were simply handed the fame and recognition; they had to fight for it on the court, just as they have everywhere else.

Of course, not all men are against it. Many men are for women in MMA, but their reasoning might not be as noble as one might hope. There is money to be made, after all, and if you find two people, be they men or women, who are willing to fight each other, you will more often than not find a man who is more than willing to promote it, and he isn't doing it to further any cause - save his own wallet.

Then, you have those fans who simply look at it as a kind of professionalized cat fight; they watch it for much the same reason as they watch female mud wrestling, and they normally don't know the difference between an armbar and a salad bar.

But the women do.

In the end, the only way for the women to become recognized and accepted in the sport of MMA is to do what they have always done: fight for it.

MMA may be one of the few combative sports where women can show that they bring a bit of elegance to the equation. While many of the striking exchanges between women still look clumsy and yes, a bit thuggish, the exact opposite is in effect when women grapple, especially when it comes to jiu-jitsu. Seeing two skilled women compete in a jiu-jitsu match is a thing of beauty, more so than when watching two men do the same. And the skill level is right there for all eyes to see.

So, with the ground work already laid (pardon the pun), all that remains is to train and compete and get the experience needed to show the world that women can be just as fluid and poetic on their feet as the men.

No one will probably ever get used to seeing a woman pound on another woman like Christiane "Cyborg" Santos did to Jan Finney, but what is important to note is that Finney showed tremendous heart, and that both ladies conducted themselves like professionals before, during, and after the fight, and like ladies as well. The majority of the viewing public is always going to have a hard time watching a woman take punishment, no matter what the contest. I will begin to worry when we cease to care. For myself, this is more a matter of the women having the right to fight if they wish. I was one of those men who have a hard time watching a woman take any kind of physical pain. It's not that I don't think they can, because they alone go through the pain and danger of childbirth; it's simply because I don't view women in the same light as men when it comes to combative sport. But I do think they should have the right to do so, under the biggest lights.

Then there is the most fundamental truth of all: ladies love to compete. They love it and even in combative sports such as boxing and MMA, they should be allowed to do as they wish, with the same top medical supervision, the same officiating and training available, and on all the same stages as the men. After all, the market is there.

As of now, the UFC is the biggest promotion in the sport and it has no plans to include women's fights. But that is not because Dana White and the rest of Zuffa have anything against the ladies. It is more a matter of the big picture, as always. If enough women were available, and they were of a high skill set, then a division could be formed, and then it could be very possible that the world could see a woman wearing UFC gold around her waist. Many may cry foul at this kind of thinking, but there are many who would applaud. The UFC is the biggest organization in the world for a reason, and that is promoting deep weight divisions and their champions. Changing company policy for the ladies would not be doing them a favor but a disservice, both in the short term and over the long haul.

The UFC doesn't want women's MMA to be akin to a spectacle, and an occasional bout on every other main card with no clear divisional ramifications would be just that. When the world finally gets to see women competing in the UFC, it will be honest competition in a deep division where every fight matters -not a mishmash of lopsided fights where one woman is clearly head and shoulders above the rest, fighting other women not of her level, simply toward the end of keeping the money rolling in and the public interested.

So, while there is still work to be done, the future looks bright. If women's tennis is any indication of what the future holds for women's MMA, we may soon be talking about the next female welterweight title bout with as much anticipation as we do the upcoming bout between GSP and Nick Diaz.